The social media app Yik Yak has recently grown in popularity among Lehigh students who have been using its anonymous posting feature to comment about their Lehigh experiences.

The app uses GPS features to track people’s locations; the posts that make up users’ news stream are posted by people near them geographically, rather than allowing them to choose their own networks.

This has led to an ongoing stream of posts that have been crafted by people on or near Lehigh’s campus being available to users who have downloaded the app near campus.

The anonymous feature of the app has caught people’s attention, as users are able to say whatever they want without having to necessarily stand by their comments.

Lehigh associate professor of journalism and communications Jeremy Littau teaches courses on incorporating the use of newer media forms into the traditional journalism field. He mentioned that the anonymity feature is becoming more common in today’s apps.

“I think this [type of app] is a bit of a market correction against what some feel is their giving away too much of themselves in social networks,” he said.

Privacy, he argues, has become more of a central focus as people have been forced to combat tendencies to over-share with new social media apps.

“Privacy is something to be protected,” he said. “A good example is Snapchat; it’s a chatting app, but the sense that they’re trying to make content disappear sheds light on the fact that nobody wants these things to be permanent.”

Nicole Montalbano, ’15, has been checking in with the app for around a week, she said.

“I don’t post anything, I just check it when I’m bored,” she said. “I don’t contribute to it at all.”

Users are able to cast votes for posts, indicating their overall like or dislike for the posts. If posts receive too many negative votes, they are removed from the overall viewer feed.

Littau mentioned that the app’s anonymity may be lending itself to types of sharing that people might not normally engage in.

“You give somebody anonymity, and they will tell you things that they will not tell you face to face or if they know that it’s going to come back on them,” he said.

“I went to a tech conference last (November)...and what I was hearing was it was actually kids K-12, it was actually kids in like third grade that it was affecting — because these kids have cell phones now — and they were having trouble with the younger kids. The real flare-up was happening in elementary campus environments.”

Despite the app’s user agreement, which requires that people should be at least 17 years old to utilize its features, Littau said kids were using the app in elementary schools. This ultimately led to schools having to block their students’ access to the app.

“Because Yik Yak in particular works on a GPS type location that’s built into your phone, what they’ve done is use programming online to say that if you’re within the school zone, you’re not able to access what’s being said,” he said.

The posts themselves have given rise to conversations around campus, but they’re not altogether positive. Groups around Lehigh are pushing for users to delete the app due to the appearance of controversial content.